Transmitting data from satellite sensors in a motor vehicle to a control unit via a two-wire line is known from the article entitled “Side Airbag Sensor in Silicon Micromachining” by D. Ullmann et al. in the March 1999 edition of the SAE Technical Paper. This is of particular interest for restraint systems. The signals are generated here via current amplitude modulation. The control unit also supplies electric power in the form of a direct current to the individual sensors via this two-wire line; a power line data transmission is thus created. An 11-bit frame is used for the data transmission, 2 start bits, 8 data bits, and 1 parity bit being provided. A Manchester code is used for the transmission.